In the first incident, a student told police a man crossed the street and attempted to grab her arm about 3 a.m. Friday in the 3400 block of Normandy Avenue. She screamed and ran away.

In a second incident, a student told police a man approached her about 3:30 a.m. Monday in the 6200 block of Hillcrest Avenue and made suggestive remarks. She said she became agitated when he got within arm’s reach, and he ran away. He was last seen in the 3400 block of Asbury Street.

Snellgrove said police decided to release the sketches to raise public awareness, especially among SMU students who may walk alone near campus.

“We are just getting the information out there,” she said. “What if an incident occurs later on and it turns out to be a rape and people ask ‘Why didn’t the police department let us know?’”

Snellgrove said the situation could have escalated in the second incident. “If you’re yelling out and calling out to an individual — her term was catcalls — that’s definitely not someone trying to ask you for directions.”

Police do not know if the two incidents are connected to an attempted sexual assault near campus in September, Snellgrove said. Last month, a student told police a man approached her and tried to pull down her shorts near Gerald J. Ford Stadium on Mockingbird Lane. The student told police she fought off her attacker.

No arrests have been made in that case, Snellgrove said. The victim could not provide a description detailed enough to produce a sketch.

University Park police are encouraging anyone with information to call 214-363-3000.

Nearly 50 years after the criminal investigation of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, former Warren Commission staffers will gather at Southern Methodist University to discuss their findings.

The five former Warren Commission staffers helped interview hundreds of witness and compile a lengthy report that ultimately concluded Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in killing Kennedy. But the report — which is still debated in college classrooms and in Dealey Plaza– didn’t silence controversies or conspiracy theories. In some cases, it only fueled them.

Two panels with the former staffers will be held at SMU on Oct. 11. They are free and open to the public.

Howard Willens, a Washington, D.C. lawyer, will be among the speakers. Willens was a 32-year-old attorney in the Department of Justice’s criminal division when Kennedy was shot. In his book, “History Will Prove Us Right: Inside the Warren Commission Investigation into the Assassination of John F. Kennedy,” he wrote about the Warren Commission’s mistakes and how they got wrong information from the FBI and CIA.

The panels are sponsored by SMU’s Dedman School of Law, the John G. Tower Center for Political Studies and The Sixth Floor Museum. Register for the event at SMU’s website.

A Southern Methodist University student told campus police Monday she was sexually assaulted in a dorm by a student acquaintance.

She said the assault occurred early Thursday in McElvaney Residence Hall, a freshman dorm on Bishop Boulevard. It marks the third sex crime reported to SMU police since the semester began Aug. 26.

Last week, a woman told police she was sexually assaulted at a campus fraternity house by a student acquaintance.

In another incident, a student said a man tried to sexually assault her Sunday night when she was walking near the football stadium. She told police she fought off her attacker and saw him run west on Mockingbird Lane.

SMU police do not believe the assaults are related, university spokesman Kent Best said. Police are investigating and no arrests have been made, he said.

Southern Methodist University police are investigating after a woman told them she was sexually assaulted by a student acquaintance at a campus fraternity.

According to an SMU email sent to students and faculty, the woman told police the assault occurred around 8:30 p.m. Sunday at the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity house. The woman is not affiliated with SMU.

Anyone with information is asked to contact SMU police at 214-768-3388 or can make an anonymous report by calling 214-768-2847 or online at http://www.smu.edu/2tip.

The alleged assault was first reported by The Daily Campus, SMU’s student newspaper.

If you’ve passed Southern Methodist University in the past few months, you’ve probably noticed cranes and construction trucks around its campus — especially in the southeast corner near Mockingbird Lane.

University officials are spending millions of dollars to improve the look of campus, add student dorms and spruce up athletic complexes.

Here’s an update on three of the projects:

Five new dorms:A quad of five new dorms and a cafeteria has risen in the southeast corner of campus. The new dorms will open in fall 2014 and coincide with a new requirement that students live on campus for two years. The dorms are designed to be living-learning communities (which SMU calls Residential Commons) with live-in faculty. Opens in fall 2014.

Renovation of Moody Coliseum:SMU’s basketball arena will be roomier after a $47 million facelift that expands the size of bathrooms and concourses, adds luxury suites for spectators and new concession stands and upgrades the arena’s audiovisual system. Done by December.

New tennis center: Construction has begun on a new tennis center, located on the old Mrs. Baird’s bakery site near Central Expressway and Mockingbird Lane. The tennis center will include an indoor pavilion with six courts and an outdoor stadium with six courts, along with space for athletic training. Done by August 2014.

A Southern Methodist University administrator resigned this week to “pursue other opportunities,” according to an email sent to university faculty.

Lisa Webb

Lisa Webb, who has served as associate vice president for student affairs and dean of student life since 2008, resigned Monday. An email about her resignation was sent to university faculty Tuesday morning from Lori White, SMU’s vice president for student affairs.

An SMU spokeswoman declined to comment, saying the university does not discuss personnel matters. Webb could not be reached.

In her role, Webb oversaw many aspects of student life — from the university’s new student orientation program to its enforcement of the student code of conduct. She also directed SMU’s conduct boards, which recently drew scrutiny over their handling of sexual assault cases.

SMU conduct boards, which are part of a grievance process required by federal law, hear about possible violations, such as cases of underage drinking, plagiarism and sexual assault. The boards help decide what disciplinary action, if any, should be taken.

In the fall of 2012, the Dallas County District Attorney’s office, some alumni and students questioned whether the university was handling sexual misconduct cases properly and expeditiously. Soon after, SMU President R. Gerald Turner appointed a task force to study its sexual misconduct policies.

In early May, the task force released a 41-point report of recommendations. Among them, the task force said university administrators should encourage students to report incidents of sexual misconduct, better inform them about their right to pursue criminal charges and have a specific conduct board that is trained to hear sexual misconduct cases. The 20-person task force did not include Webb.

Webb also helped create the Caring Community Connections, a confidential program that allows faculty and staff to submit information about students who may be struggling or in crisis.

Steve Rankin, a university chaplain and minister, will serve as interim dean of student as SMU searches for Webb’s replacement, according to the faculty email.

Here’s the email, in full:

Dear Colleagues,

Dr. Lisa Webb, Associate Vice President and Dean of Student Life, has resigned her position effective June 17 to pursue other opportunities. Dr. Webb served in her role for 5 years and has made outstanding contributions to SMU, particularly related to the establishment of the Caring Community Connections program and her unwavering support of students and their well being. I thank Lisa for her service to SMU.

Dr. Steve Rankin, Chaplain and Minister to the University, will serve as the interim Dean of Students until a successor to Dr. Webb has been named. A national search for a new Associate Vice President and Dean of Student Life will be undertaken.

Updated at 1:20 p.m.: The jury found Donald Cuba not guilty, prompting shouts and applause from his family and friends in the courtroom.

The family of his accuser, who the court referred to as “Jan Doe,” were not in the courtroom.

As the former junior walked out of court, Cuba shouted to his SMU friends: “I will see you next year.”

Original entry (posted at 1 p.m.):

Jury deliberations began Wednesday afternoon in the trial of Donald Cuba, a former Southern Methodist University junior accused of raping a student in a campus dorm on Feb. 10, 2012.

Cuba chose not to testify before closing arguments were presented on the third day of the trial.

The case hinges on the testimony of the woman, called “Jan Doe” by the court, because there was no DNA evidence. Doe did not immediately report to police that she was assaulted and did not get a rape exam. The sheets and her athletic shorts from that night were washed, according to testimony.

Defense attorney Robert Udashen questioned Doe’s credibility, referring to witnesses who testified about a night of underage drinking and hook-ups and Doe’s testimony that she was sober that night.

“All you know about what happened in that room is what she said happened in that room,” he said. “All you can do is decide whether you believe her beyond a reasonable doubt.”

Udashen said Doe “put herself that night in an awkward position” by hanging out with two boys — Cuba and a boy who some testified that she kissed. “She’s created her own monster,” he said.

Udashen said there is no physical evidence an assault occurred and said Doe lied about drinking that night. He said she misrepresented facts to smear his client’s reputation.

Dallas County prosecutor Cresta Garland said Doe’s story of being assaulted remained the same, with only small differences due to wording and memory. She described Doe as a bright young woman who had nothing to gain by making up a sexual assault allegation against a man who she’d only met once before.

“If this is some major ploy for the victim in this case to set up Donald Cuba, you better believe that from that night, she’s saving her shorts, she’s not washing them, she’s running to the hospital to get a sexual assault exam,” she said.

Testimony continued Tuesday in the trial of Donald Cuba, a former Southern Methodist University student who is accused of raping another student in a campus dorm in February 2012.

Two sexual assault experts, including the therapist of the woman who reported the assault (who the court refers to as “Jan Doe”), took the stand Tuesday morning. Two SMU students also testified. Witnesses for defense will begin testimony Tuesday afternoon.

SMU student Eric Trexel, who lived on another floor in the same campus dorm, testified that he saw Doe “running around frantically” in the early morning of Feb. 10. Doe told him she was trying to get away from someone, but would not say why.

Trexel said he took Doe into his room to calm her down and make her feel safe. A group of boys knocked on the door several times and each time, she shuddered, he said. He sat next to her on the futon and asked her what had happened.

“She didn’t want to talk about it, but she was rocking back and forth and she kept saying, ‘It should be my choice.’”

Days after the alleged assault, Cathey Soutter, director of SMU’s counseling and therapy program, said she began seeing Doe. She said Doe was composed, but tearful throughout their first visit and came with a friend. Soutter said she had symptoms of “acute stress response.”

A month later, Doe’s symptoms intensified, Soutter said. She couldn’t sleep and had flashbacks. When she did sleep, she often had nightmares. Soutter said she diagnosed Doe with post-traumatic stress disorder and met with her regularly.

Doe’s grades also began slipping, which jeopardized her scholarships, Soutter said. Soutter said she wrote letters to professors and university officials on Doe’s behalf, explaining that Doe was experiencing psychological trauma.

Doe’s report of sexual assault also divided the residents of her dorm hall, which contributed to her stress, Soutter said.

“It was just a difficult environment to be in,” she said. “She was feeling like there was a lot of rumors flying.”

Shea Alexander, clinical director of the Dallas Area Rape Crisis Center, was the second trauma expert brought to the stand. Alexander, who has not spoken to Doe or reviewed her case, testified about the different ways sexual assault victims may respond during an assault and afterward.

She said victims don’t always scream or fight back — and often delay reporting to law enforcement or do not report the offense at all.

“A sexual assault victim oftentimes goes into a state of what we call shock and during that state of shock, they are not able to respond,” she said. “Sometimes what they report is that their body turns into Jello.”

Testimony began Monday morning in the sexual assault case of Donald Cuba, a former Southern Methodist University junior who is accused of raping a freshman in a campus dorm in the early morning hours of Feb. 10, 2012.

Donald Cuba

The woman, who is called “Jan Doe” by the court, testified that Cuba pushed her onto a bed, pinned down her arms, pushed her shorts and underwear to the side and raped her.

“The more I struggled, the more I realized [how] in danger my life was,” she said. “I went into shock.”

Her friend, SMU student Melissa Levinsohn, testified that she received text messages that morning from Doe, who said she had been hurt by a student named Don.

Levinsohn said she did not know Cuba. Doe testified she had been introduced to Cuba once before.

Levinsohn testified that she and Doe met up in a campus cafeteria, where Doe seemed distressed and disheveled. She was wearing sweatpants and a sweatshirt and appeared to have not brushed her hair. She had not attended class earlier that morning and told Levinsohn that she was hurt.

Doe said she was sober the night the alleged assault occurred and was spending Thursday evening in her dorm room with her roommate when Cuba and his friend stopped by for a visit. When Doe’s roommate and Cuba’s friend began to kiss, Doe went out in the hallway. She said that Cuba convinced her to visit a mutual friend down the hall.

When they walked into the mutual friend’s room, Doe said she saw no one there. She said that Cuba walked in behind her and closed the door. When she asked to leave, she said he forced her onto the bed. She said she struggled against him, pleaded for him to stop and then went into shock.

Robert Udashen, Cuba’s attorney, asked Doe if she had hit or slapped Cuba when he let go of an arm to unzip his pants.

“No sir,” she said. “I’ve since gone back and wished I had.”

Following the alleged assault, Doe said Cuba walked out of the room without speaking. In the hallway, he told her they should go to his fraternity house. She said she walked to a stairwell and went upstairs and downstairs looking for a safe place. She found a student who she knew and he took her to his room where she said she “broke down” on his futon.

The 20-person task force, which met 12 times, reviewed the university’s sexual misconduct policies. The task force included 17 SMU trustees, employees and students. It also included a criminal attorney, a Dallas County prosecutor and victims’ advocate.

Following are some of the task force’s 41 recommendations:

– Fund after-hours counselors who are available 24 hours a day.

– Allow students to report incidents of sexual violence anonymously.

– Distribute pocket-size cards to SMU employees with ways to support students who report sexual assaults.

– Communicate regularly with the district attorney’s office and law enforcement officials.

– Prevent and address retaliation against students who report sexual misconduct.

– Create a mandatory good-citizenship course to address sexual misconduct and other topics.